Addiction
by Dedicednu
Summary: The Rock battles a drug addiction and relies on the help from his friends. Please R/R!!!!
1. Starting Over

Rock fans, don't take any offense to this story. I am a huge Rock fan and would never  
wish these events on anybody. Thanks!  
  
Addiction  
**********  
  
Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, sat in the chair and looked intently at the phone. He  
wasn't going to do it, not tonight, not ever. He'd been clean for two days now and he sure as  
hell wanted to make it three. He started breathing hard and broke into a cold sweat. He  
knew he was going to go through withdrawals soon and was not looking forward to the rest of  
the night. But he wasn't going to do it, he wasn't going to call.   
He remembered the first day of trying to quit. It had been easy enough because his  
friends were there with him. Tonight he was all alone. The second day was really hard. He  
was upset that his wife of eight years left him and he started yelling at his friends and  
family. Yelling things he never thought he'd say. Tonight was pure hell. Then he  
remembered the high and the pleasure he felt. He stood up and started to pace, wiping the  
sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He wanted to feel that pleasure again.  
Before he knew what he was doing, he picked up the phone and dialed a single number. It  
answered on the second ring.  
"Yeah, it's me. Can we meet somewhere tonight?"  
*********************  
  
Mick banged on Dwayne's door. He was worried when he didn't show up for work and  
called Steve. Together they traveled to the hotel where he was staying. They both knew  
he'd be there, he had no where else to go. Mick continued to bang on the door. No one  
was answering.  
  
"Come on, Dwayne! Open up!" Mick yelled. Still no response. Mick looked at Steve.  
  
"Bust the damn door down!"   
  
They were inside in seconds and immediately started looking for Dwayne.  
  
"Dwayne! Where you at??!!"  
  
"Holy shit!! Mick, get in here!!" Steve yelled from the bathroom. Mick knew he found  
him. He ran to the bathroom.  
  
"Dear God!" He didn't expect what he saw when he looked at the prone figure on the  
floor. Fear clenched his stomach as he checked for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief  
when he found a weak one. "All right, let's pick him up. Grab his head." Steve grabbed  
Dwayne under his arms and Mick grabbed his legs. Together they picked Dwayne's  
unconscious body up off the floor and dragged him the to couch. Steve walked back into  
the bathroom while Mick wet some wash rags.  
  
"Damnit! You should've known, Mick!" Steve said walking back from the bathroom.  
He held up an empty syringe. "On the floor."  
  
"Son-of-a-bitch! Mick yelled in frustration. "We should have stayed with him. I knew  
we should have!" Mick walked back to Dwayne, with one of the rags he wiped the vomit  
from his mouth and face and placing the other cool rag on his forehead. "He's got a fever."  
Mick said as he started to remove his shirt. Steve got the hint and went to remove his  
jeans, leaving on his boxers and socks. They covered him with a light sheet. Steve let out a  
sigh.  
  
"Come on. Let's search the place." Steve said quietly.  
After about fifteen minutes of searching, they had found a total of six stashes of heroin.  
Very disappointed, they laid the contents out on the table and waited for Dwayne to wake  
up.  
  
Twenty minutes later Dwayne was still unconscious. Mick was beginning to get really  
worried.  
  
"Maybe we should call an ambulance?" He said quietly. Steve glared at him.  
  
"Mick, you know if the media gets hold of this, Dwayne will be out of a job."  
  
"He's already suspended."  
  
"Only 'till he cleans up...... and Vince says he can still come to the shows."  
  
"Steve, look at him!" He pointed to the prone man laying on the couch. "Does it look  
like he's going to clean up anytime soon?! He might as well be out of a job. I mean, his  
wife left him, he's got a kid he's never seen, and his friends have abandoned him! He  
doesn't have much of a life left! And besides, if he dies lying here he won't have a life at all!"  
  
"He always wakes up, Mick. Just wait." Steve said.  
  
"Yeah, well, there's always a first.............and a last."  
  
Just as Steve was about ready to give in and let Mick call for help, Dwayne started to  
wake up. Steve and Mick quickly went to him.  
  
"Dwayne?" Mick said quietly. Dwayne slowly opened his eyes, sat up and groaned,  
letting the rag fall from his head. He swung his legs over to sit up. He closed his eyes and  
buried his face in his hands.  
  
"What the hell happened?" He groaned.  
  
Steve picked up one of the needles and held in front of Dwayne's face. "Two days of hard   
ass work going down the drain is what happened!" He threw the needle back down.   
"What's wrong with you, Dwayne? We leave you for one day and your back on drugs?!"   
  
Dwayne shook his head. "I tried..." He started weakly.  
  
"You tried?! Well that's......." Mick held up a hand to stop Steve from saying something  
he'll regret.  
  
"Steve, please." He looked at Dwayne and pointed to the drugs. "How many did you  
buy?" Dwayne looked at the contents on the table.  
  
"There's four more." He said softly.  
  
"Well, your going to get up and find every last one of them, and flush it all.  
Understand?"  
  
"Yeah....."  
  
"Now."  
  
With a great deal of struggle, Dwayne stood up to find his two hundred and fifty dollars  
worth of heroin.   
  
Back to day one.  
  
End of pt. 1  
I'll continue if I get some good reviews. 


	2. Tough Love

I want to thank all the readers for the reviews. I deeply appreciate it. I was told I could get sued  
by Rock if he read this. Don't sue, Rocky!!! I don't have anything!!   
  
Addiction Pt. 2 Tough Love  
  
A decision was made to let Dwayne stay with Steve while he gets cleaned up because Mick's  
place was too small. This way they could keep an eye on him, which they have done for   
three days. Three whole days of shadowing Dwayne and following him everywhere he went.  
They even timed him when he went to bathroom. It was starting to get really  
frustrating for Dwayne. This, added the withdrawals he was experiencing, made him a  
very irritated man.  
  
"Damnit, Mick! Get the hell away from me!" He yelled. Every time he would get upset,  
Mick and Steve would turn it into a joke. Sometimes Dwayne was thankful for that, other  
times he wasn't. Right now he wished they would just shut up and leave him alone.  
  
"Whoa, D! It's just tough love, baby! That's all!" Mick laughed, holding up his hands in a  
mock surrender. Dwayne stared at him, wanting to beat the shit out of him.  
  
"Ignore 'ol Mick, Dwayne. Come on, lets play a game." Steve said. He was sitting on  
the floor trying to hook up the PlayStation 2. "I think I finally got the damn thing  
working." He put the game in and turned it on. Nothing. Dwayne and Mick started  
watching in mild amusement. "What the...." Steve gave the machine a good smack and the  
screen came to life. "Ha!! Teach that son-of-a-bitch! Come on, man. We'll fight each other." Steve  
handed Dwayne the other controller. Dwayne, wanting to forget about Mick, grabbed the  
controller and went to sit next to Steve on the floor. Mick grinned and walked out the  
door.  
  
"What are we playing?" Dwayne asked.  
  
"The only thing we know how to play." They both watched as the WWF logo appeared  
on the screen.  
  
"Should've known." He paused and let out a long sigh. "I miss wrestling."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll take it easy on your rusty ass." Dwayne laughed. He was thankful for  
the change in mood. "Ah hell, that doesn't look like me!" Steve yelled when he saw his  
profile. "I'm ugly as hell!" He pointed to the screen. Dwayne laughed and was suddenly  
hit with a severe case of the chills. Steve noticed the involuntary muscle movement. "Cold?"  
  
"Just a little." Dwayne knew that Steve knew that it was the withdrawals.  
  
"I'll turn the heat up." He got up and went to the thermostat. Dwayne went ahead and  
started the game, slightly embarassed by the situation. When Steve returned he noticed  
that the chills had worsened. "It'll kick in in a minute. You okay?" Concern tinged his voice.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Now let me kick your ass."  
******************  
  
They'd been playing for about half an hour when Mick returned with some groceries.  
As soon as he entered the door, he noticed the heat. "Why is it so hot in here?" He set the  
bag on the table.  
  
"Dwayne's cold!" Steve yelled from the living room.  
  
"Oh. I got us some things to drink. Beer, Orange juice, water and more beer." He put  
the contents in the fridge and walked to the living room. "Whose winning?"  
  
"Well, I was until D decided to play you. Now I'm getting my ass kicked."  
  
"It's not the first time, Steve. You should be use to it." Dwayne replied with a grin.  
  
"Oh, hell. I was winning when I was fighting you."  
  
"Well, that's just because......."   
  
When he didn't finish, Steve looked over at him. He saw a very pale and sweaty  
Dwayne.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" Dwayne shook his head and quickly stood up, causing Steve to stand  
up also. He practically ran to the bathroom.  
  
"Damn withdrawals." Mick mumbled as he went to wet some rags. A few moments  
later, a very weak Dwayne appeared from the bathroom. He could hardly stand and was  
clutching the door for support. Steve quickly grabbed his arm and slung it over his  
shoulder and led him to the couch. Mick returned and handed Dwayne a wet rag and a  
glass of water. Dwayne wiped his mouth with the rag and took a drink of the water. He  
looked up at his friends.  
  
"Sorry if I ruined the mood....." He said tiredly.  
  
"Naw, that's okay." Mick replied. "You wanna lay down?" Dwayne nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I think I will. For a little while."  
  
End of Pt. 2. It'll all fall into place after a while. Please R/R if you want a Pt. 3 :) 


	3. The Trust Test

Addiction Pt. 3 The Trust Test  
  
  
Mick and Steve were sitting in the living room after Dwayne decided to rest. Mick was  
on the couch and Steve took his place back on the floor. Both were completely silent.  
  
"We need to try to get a hold of Dany." Mick said out of nowhere.  
  
"We've already tried. She won't answer the phone." Steve replied.  
  
"Dwayne really needs her here." Steve nodded. They remained silent for a few more  
moments. Just then Dwayne appeared from the guest room. He looked terrible but a lot  
better than he did. Mick looked up at him.  
  
"Hey, man. How are you feeling?" Mick asked as calmly as he could. He didn't want to  
sound like a nagging mother.  
  
"Better. Can't wait till this is over, though."  
  
"No offense, man, but it's your own fault." Steve piped in. Mick quickly glared over at  
him. He always knew the wrong thing to say. Mick looked back at Dwayne. Steve was  
looking at the television screen and didn't see the hateful stare Dwayne was giving him.  
  
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm paying for it now." He replied quietly. He turned and went to  
the kitchen. Mick busted Steve on the arm.  
  
"Why the hell did you say that!?" He yelled, trying to keep his voice down so Dwayne  
wouldn't hear.  
  
"What!?" Steve honestly didn't know what he had said wrong.  
  
"'It's your own fault'!!?? You know better than to say something like that!" Steve  
bowed his head. Mick continued to glare at him. "Especially when he's in a state like  
that!!" Steve continued to ignore him and refused to meet his eyes.  
  
"Sometimes the truth hurts, Mick." He said softly. Dwayne came back from the kitchen  
with a glass of orange juice. He stepped over Steve and sat down next to Mick.  
  
"How long have I been out?" Dwayne asked to no one in particular, taking a sip from the glass.  
  
"A few hours." Mick quickly answered before Steve had a chance to. Dwayne slowly  
nodded and took another sip.   
  
"Thirsty?" Steve asked seeing the glass of orange juice. Dwayne knew where this was  
going.  
  
"Yeah. Don't even say it. I know." Dwayne said coldly.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Steve turned defensive. Mick started watching the two  
carefully.  
  
"The fucking withdrawals, man!" Dwayne stood up. "I know you were going to say it.  
You've been all over my case lately. I'm sorry, okay! How many times do you want me to  
say it? I'm sorry!" Steve stood up also and got right up in Dwayne's face.  
  
"As many as it takes to make up for two days!!" The outburst caused Mick to stand up.  
  
"Okay, that enough!!! Both of you! Steve, back off!! Dwayne calm down!" Mick  
yelled, getting in between the two men. He turned to Dwayne. "We know you've been  
working hard, Dwayne. And I know we've been getting on your nerves lately and I think  
it's time for a test." Steve and Dwayne looked at him confused.  
  
"Test?" Dwayne asked. Mick nodded.  
  
"The rest of the day to yourself. Just you. Come back tonight clean and we'll see what  
happens. Your at the point now that we trust you to be by yourself. But if we have to go  
to some hospital because you O.D. then it's straight to rehab. Whatdya say?" This time  
Steve glared at him, confused.  
  
"Mick, no. We can't let him do that. It'll be back to day one." Steve said, not caring if  
Dwayne was right in front of him. Mick was getting irritated at Steve.  
  
"Damnit, would you quite that crap!!?" Mick yelled. He turned back to Dwayne.  
  
"Dwayne?" Dwayne looked at Mick then met Steve's glare.  
  
"I'll see you two tonight." And he walked out the door.  
  
*****************  
  
Dwayne was finally alone. After three days of hell, he was finally able to think  
peacefully. He appreciated their support and all but it was getting a little too much.  
Dwayne decided to go somewhere where he knew he wouldn't get himself into any  
trouble; The park. He sat at a table wondering what he was going to do with his 'free-  
day'. He kind of liked just sitting there. It was so peaceful, so quiet. He'd been going  
through withdrawals all day and the change of environment had helped a little. His body  
still ached all over and he wanted to give in so badly but he remembered what Mick had  
said and he really didn't want to be surrounded by other addicts. He had brought his  
portable CD player and pulled out his headphones. He stopped what he was doing when  
he heard someone call his name.  
  
"Hey, Dwayne!!!" When he turned around and saw who it was, his heart nearly  
stopped. It was Bic, the guy who sold him the drugs. He was running up to him. Dwayne  
put his CD player away before he approached. "Hey, man. It's been a while. I can set you  
up tonight if you need it."  
  
"No, thanks." Any other time he would have went for it without even thinking about it.  
  
"What?" Bic was clearly confused; He made a lot of money off of this guy.  
  
"I said 'I'm done.'" Dwayne started to walk away. Bic ran and stood in front of him,  
blocking his way.  
  
"No, wait. Whoa. I thought we had something going here?"  
  
"Not anymore." Dwayne said patiently. He didn't want it to show, but he really wanted  
the drugs.  
"Oh, I get it." Bic said, realizing what was happening. "So how long have you been  
off?" Dwayne noticed he didn't say 'clean'. Dwayne knew he was probably high himself  
right now.  
  
"I've been 'clean' for a few days now." Dwayne found himself feeling pride in that fact.  
  
"Oh, hell. You can make up a lousy few days. Come on, I know you want it." Bic said  
hopefully.  
  
"I'm through with you, Bic, and it's staying that way." He said confidently. His body  
was screaming at him to accept the offer, but he wasn't going to ruin three days of hard  
work for a few hours of pleasure. Not this time.  
  
"Damnit, D! I got to sell this stuff!!" Dwayne grinned at how desperate he'd become so  
quickly.  
  
"I don't want a damn thing from you! Now, get out of my face!!" Dwayne stood up his  
entire 6'5" profile and clearly intimidated Bic. Bic was shocked and took a few steps back.  
  
"Fine! Fuck you, man!! You'll regret it!!" Bic stormed off. Dwayne was proud of  
himself. He did it all on his own. He knew his friends would be proud of him, too. Well, at  
least Mick. He knew he just made a big step in his recovery and right then and there, in the  
middle of the park, he made his new goal-a month.  
  
End of Pt. 3 


	4. Forgiving

Pt. 4 was a tough one. I think it's pretty good but it could be better. I got past my block  
though and I hope it's okay. Pt. 5 should help kick the story up a bit. I felt awkward about   
using the real name of The Rock's wife; it felt like it was really happening. Kind of  
disturbing. Oh well. Enjoy! (please ignore the poor punctuation)  
  
Pt. 4 Forgiving  
  
Steve took a deep breath before opening the bedroom door. He could hear the  
television inside and knew Dwayne was in there. They haven't exactly been on talking  
terms since Mick's 'Trust Test.' Steve had strongly felt that Dwayne would once again give in  
to desire and he was afraid that it might be the last time. He was proven wrong and felt  
like he owed Dwayne an apology. He knocked on the door before slowly opening it.  
  
"Hey." Steve said nervously. Dwayne was sitting against the headboard and looked up at Steve.   
  
"Hey." He turned back to the TV.  
  
"So, how was your day?" No answer. "Mick said that you met an old friend but you wouldn't tell   
him anything else. So, how'd it go?" He was obviously being ignored. He decided to get straight to   
the point. "Um, look, I'm sorry I didn't have enough faith in you. You've proven me wrong and I  
apologize." Dwayne turned the TV down and looked back up at Steve.  
  
"That's what you came to tell me?" Dwayne didn't really care. He proved it to himself  
that he could do it. He could give a damn if Steve believed in him or not. Not anymore.  
  
"What do you want me to say? I said I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry didn't cut it for you, remember?" Dwayne said and realized he had backed Steve into a  
corner. He gazed up at him. "Don't worry about it." His voice was cold and he once  
again turned his attention to the television but Steve could tell he wasn't really watching it.  
Steve felt like he should say something but he had no clue as to what to say.   
  
"You know, I really am sorry. I'm being sincere."  
  
"I know." Dwayne said flatly, his tone betraying his words.  
  
"It's just that I've seen friends die because of drugs and......." Steve paused not wanting  
to reveal too much but he wanted Dwayne to understand where he was coming from. Dwayne  
stood up and turned off the TV. Steve looked at the younger man in front of him.  
"Dwayne, man, I love you like a brother. I just couldn't let you do this to yourself."  
  
"Don't you think I know that!? This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life!  
And I'm trying, Steve. I'm trying my damnedest! It's just......." He stopped, not able to  
continue. All of his emotions that he kept bottled up for six months were started to push  
their way through. His eyes were teary and his voice broke. "I can't take it anymore.....I still  
want a hit, you know. Every day of every minute. I want to feel that warm feeling go   
through my body. When I shoot up..it's like...it's like I don't have a care in the world, you know?  
Everything just disappears. But when I sober up, all my problems are staring me straight in the face ten times a worse. It's getting harder and harder to resist, man. I don't care about anything anymore, all I want is the high. And I don't want that. I want my life back." He whispered. Realizing what was about to happen, he quickly swiped at his eyes and started to leave. He didn't want Steve to see him like this.  
  
"Dwayne, wait." Steve grabbed him by the wrist. Dwayne paused and turned around.  
"I know I haven't been real supportive lately, I mean I tried at first with the thermostat  
thing and all, but I felt like I was encouraging it or something. But now me and the guys  
are here for you, and I'm going to try to be more understanding. We know you want to get   
clean and we want the same thing. We're here to help you anyway you want it." Steve was   
starting to let his emotions show, too. He had watched his close friend slowly kill himself   
for over six months. His eyes also started to tear and he tried his hardest not to let them fall.   
"Man, just take it one day at a time...." Steve's words were soft and gentle as he spoke. Dwayne  
slowly nodded. He bowed his head and a tear escaped down his cheek. He didn't want to  
hold back anymore. Steve grabbed Dwayne by the shoulder and pulled him into a tight  
embrace. Dwayne buried his face in Steve's shoulder as a single sob broke through. Steve fought   
the urge not to cry and to keep his own emotions in check . He had to be the strong one now, but that  
didn't stop the few tears that did find their way down his cheeks.  
Steve would always be here for him, but he knew that it should be his wife comforting him. Not  
Steve. But he would never say no, how could he? He was going to be here for him no  
matter what. He wouldn't leave. After a few moments, when Steve was sure he was okay,  
he pulled back and looked Dwayne in the eye.  
"You okay?" Dwayne took a deep breath and wiped his eyes.  
  
"Yeah." He said softly. Steve grinned.  
  
"All right. Day four?"   
  
Dwayne nodded. "And more to come."  
  
"Great. Wanna go get something to eat? I'm starving"   
  
Dwayne grinned. "Sure." As they started out the door, Dwayne paused. Wanting to ask  
something but not quite sure of how to ask.  
"Hey, um, Steve?"   
  
"Yeah?" Steve turned around.  
  
"Um, look, I'll appreciate it if we could...um..you know...." Steve smiled, fully understanding.  
  
"Sure, buddy, it won't leave this room."   
  
"Great. Thanks." Steve grinned and placed a hand on Dwayne's back companionably and   
together they walked out the door.  
  
End of Pt. 4 Please review or mail your thoughts. 


	5. Temptation

Finally Part 5 is here!!!!!!! First of all, I am very unfamiliar with the effects of heroin. I did  
a little research but if some stuff here doesn't seen right, just play along and pretend,  
okay? Thanks!!!! PLEASE R/R!!!!!!  
  
Addiction Pt. 5 Temptation  
  
Steve and Dwayne sat at the table and quietly ate their meal. Dwayne was off in another  
world and Steve was trying to think of something to say. Occasionally, Dwayne would  
sort of twitch every few seconds. He was also shaking his leg vigorously under the table.  
  
"What's wrong with you, man?" Steve asked, getting annoyed at the constant  
movement.  
  
"Do you have to ask?" Dwayne snapped. Suddenly it dawned on Steve.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah. 'oh.'" He then started scratching his arm. After realizing what he was doing, he   
immediately stopped and busied himself with his food which he hasn't touched once. Steve  
observed his movements for a while.   
  
"Not hungry?" Steve took a bite out of one of his fries. Dwayne shrugged and shook his  
head.  
  
"No, not really." He continued to play and poke at his food. He was also starting to  
sweat and his shakes became a little more apparent. Steve noticed his distress.  
  
"Ready to go?" Steve asked, throwing his napkin on the tray.  
  
"Yup." Dwayne took one more drink from his cup before standing. He then slowly  
lowered himself back to his chair when a sharp pain went shooting up from his stomach.   
  
"You okay?" Steve tried to keep his voice down, not wanting to cause a scene. Dwayne  
nodded, his eyes clinched shut.  
  
"Yeah, just give me a minute." He grunted. He had one hand on his knee and the other holding  
his belly. Steve waited patiently for the effects to subside. Then just as soon as it came, it  
left. Dwayne took a deep breath and slowly rose to his feet.  
  
"All right, let's go." He replied with a shaky voice.  
So they left the restaurant and headed for Steve's truck. Dwayne was still walking semi  
slummed and Steve followed closely behind, not sure if Dwayne's legs could hold him to  
the truck. But as they approached the vehicle they were surrounded by about six huge,  
well-muscled guys. Steve and Dwayne automatically went into defensive mode and eyed  
each man carefully. They weren't as timid as anyone would think, even though they were  
wrestlers they still knew how to fight a real fight. A smaller man pushed his way through  
and Dwayne noticed that it was Bic.  
  
"You sorry son-of-a-bitch! What do you want?" Dwayne shouted angrily and he quickly  
tried to hide his shakes.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Steve asked totally confused. Bic approached the two with  
a slight grin.  
  
"Mr. Johnson and I have some unfinished business to take care of. It doesn't concern  
you." Bic replied.  
  
"What?" Steve asked bewildered.  
  
"Steve, this is Bic. He's the one that sold me the heroin." Dwayne said, not wanting to   
say 'dealer'. Steve eyed Bic cautiously.  
  
"Now, Dwayne, we need to come to an agreement. I think you know what I'm talking  
about."  
  
"I'm not buying any of your drugs." Dwayne snapped quickly, not trusting his body's  
instinct to take the soon to come offer . Bic nodded at the reply.  
  
"I had a feeling you were going to say that. But wouldn't it be a shame if I had to force  
you?"  
  
"I don't care what you do to me. I'm not buying." Dwayne was thankful Steve was  
there, otherwise he would have probably taken the offer.  
  
"Oh, no. I'm not going to do anything to you. Not physically anyway." He paused for  
effect. "I hear you got a kid. That's nice. Boy or girl?" Dwayne just starred at him,  
catching on to what he was really saying. He clinched his fists in anger. "Oh, yeah. You  
don't know, you never seen it. I doubt it's even yours." Bic was trying to fire Dwayne up.  
It was working.  
  
"Hey, man, just back off." Steve interrupted and was given a sharp punch to the  
abdomen by one of the cohorts. When he dropped, he was kicked in the face. Dwayne didn't say or do anything.  
  
"Like I said, it doesn't concern you." Bic looked down at the coughing Steve before  
looking back up Dwayne. "He your friend?" A pause. "How's your wife? Good I hope."  
Bic smiled, his eyes gleaming. "But wouldn't it be terrible if she, were to say, get in an  
accident. A very slow, painful death." Bic said the last few words slowly and clearly. "We  
can arrange it so that your the only one carrying the Johnson name. How you like that?  
And then maybe the media will figure out the real reason behind your suspension and not  
the 'backstage fights' they're selling now."   
  
"You son-of-a-bitch." Dwayne said, obviously disturbed by his words.   
  
"I know, I know." Bic nodded. "Tell you what. If you pay for six now we'll leave them  
alone. You don't necessary have to use the drugs, just buy them. Unless you want to use  
them. What do you say?" By this time, Steve was leaning against the wheel of his truck,  
wiping the blood from his mouth.  
  
"I don't have any money on me." Dwayne quickly added the price of the six in his head-  
Over three hundred dollars.  
  
"You got a credit card, don't you? Let's go find an ATM."  
  
"Wait, how do I know your telling the truth?" Dwayne was stalling, trying to come up  
with a plan. So far, nothing came to mind.  
  
"Well, I got a few guys that's probably watching your wife as we speak, they can take  
care of everything right now. All it takes is one call." Bic shrugged. He knew he was   
winning. "Quit stalling and let's go." They stared at each other for a long time.  
  
"Fine." Dwayne sighed, closing his eyes. Upset at himself for giving in so easily and yet  
strangely relieved same time. Bic laughed and smacked Dwayne on the arm.  
  
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Dwayne remained silent. "I think Steve should wait  
here for you." He looked over at his gang. "Three of you stay here and the other three  
come with us."   
  
Dwayne, Bic, and his thugs approached the ATM machine a few minutes later. Dwayne  
took out his credit card and slid it in the slot.  
  
"Better make it an even thousand." Bic said with a grin and a shrug. "Better safe than  
sorry." Bic noticed the glare Dwayne was giving him and couldn't help but grin wider.  
"Come on, I know you have it."   
  
"Whatever." Dwayne shook his head . He typed in his password and a few moments  
later a thousand dollars were produced. Bic snatched the bills up quickly and counted each  
one.  
  
"We better keep in touch just in case." Bic put the money in his jacket pocket. "Oh,  
before I forget." He reached back in his pocket and pulled out a bag wrapped tightly with  
duct tape and handed it to Dwayne who shook his head upon seeing it.  
  
"I don't want it. Just take the money." He was surprised that he almost reached  
for it. Old habits die hard.  
  
"The deal was the money for the drugs. Now take it." Dwayne just stood there staring  
at the bag. He thought back to his family and the threat Bic had made. He sighed in defeat  
and took the bag, which caused a small smile from Bic. He quickly stuffed it in his jacket  
pocket "Great. Now all you need to do is just go home, relax, and....drift away." Bic  
started to chuckle. "See ya later, man!" As soon as they left, Dwayne walked quickly back  
to Steve. When he got there, he noticed that Steve was all alone, still leaning against the  
wheel of the truck.  
  
"You okay?" Dwayne asked. Steve looked up at him.  
  
"Oh, just peachy. Hand up?" Dwayne took the offered hand and hauled Steve up on his  
feet. But his dizzy head made him sway and he rested his hands on his knees.   
  
"Where'd they go?" Dwayne asked, looking around.  
  
"They just took off a few minutes after you left." Dwayne nodded. "So, how much did  
you give him?" He spit out the blood that was still in his mouth.  
  
"A thousand fucking dollars." Dwayne said angrily. Steve shook his head.  
  
"He give you the drugs?"   
  
Dwayne thought hard on the question. The withdrawals have been the worst he's ever  
had. His temptation was beginning to rise to new levels. You never know when it could come  
in handy. His hands were in his pockets and he could feel the heavy bag between his  
fingers. He took a deep breath before giving his answer.   
  
"No." Dwayne wouldn't meet Steve's eye.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah. So, how are we going to explain this one?" He was quick to change the subject.  
  
"Easy. Don't tell anyone." Steve slowly stood straight.  
  
"What? Mick is going to ask about your busted lip."  
  
"You had a withdrawal fit and picked a fight with me." Steve shrugged like it was the  
simple truth. Dwayne considered it for a moment.  
  
"You think he'll believe it?"  
  
"He'll have to. I mean, look at you, your still shaking with it. If we blame it on your  
addiction, he'll believe anything."  
  
"Okay. Ready to go home?"  
  
"Defiantly."  
  
"You think you can drive? I wouldn't trust myself right now. I'll probably drive us  
straight in a ditch with all this damn twitching." Dwayne held hand out which was shaking  
rather noticeably. Steve smiled a little as they both climbed in truck.  
  
"Probably shock, I'm skaking too." Steve laughed. "At least your making light of it, though."  
Steve said as he started to truck and pulled out the drive.  
  
"Yeah....." Dwayne whispered. He reached in his pocket to feel the cool, tightly  
wrapped bag between his fingers. He then realized that his shakes were not from the  
withdrawals, but from the guilt and shame coursing through his body.  
  
End of Pt. 5. Reviews are worshipped! 


	6. Willpower

Pt. 6 Will Power  
  
Steve and Dwayne drove in silence the entire way home. Both still in shock over what just  
took place. They finally pulled in the drive and Steve killed the truck.  
  
"If he's still here, remember, you picked a fight with me."  
  
"Yeah, and I won." Dwayne smirked as he opened the passenger side door.  
  
"Oh, whatever. We'll just leave that part out." Steve grinned as they walked up the  
steps and opened the front door. As they passed through the kitchen, Steve noticed Mick  
on the couch. Mick looked up and immediately noticed Steve's swollen lip.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Steve acted real tired and pointed to Dwayne.  
  
"Son-of-a-bitch picked a fight with me." He made sure his tone carried anger. Dwayne  
also looked upset and gave Steve a hostile glare as he passed by him.  
  
"You deserved it too, you bastard." He paused to give Steve another glare. "I'm tired.  
I'm going to bed." He 'limped' into the bedroom and closed the door. Mick looked  
at Steve for a long time. Steve sat in the chair and felt his swollen lip. He noticed Mick  
staring at him.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"He picked a fight with you?" Mick obviously doubted it.  
  
"Yeah! He had a withdrawal fit and just went crazy!" Steve hoped Mick wouldn't go  
confirm with Dwayne. They hadn't went over the details.  
  
"A withdrawal fit?" Mick's tone was almost sarcastic. Steve was getting paranoid.  
  
"Yeah." Steve was tempted to say 'duh' but knew it would sound childish. Mick ran his  
eyes over Steve before nodding.  
  
"I think I know who won." He got up and went to the kitchen before Steve had the  
chance to argue.  
****************************  
  
Dwayne sat down on the bed and dug the bag out of his jacket pocket. He held it in his  
hands, rolling it around with his fingers. He held it under his nose and took a deep breath,  
closing his eyes as the familiar scent filled his nostrils. He exhaled sharply and looked at the bag.   
This single bag has caused so much damage to his life in such a short while. He lost his  
family, his job, and some of his friends. He wondered why he even started doing it. He  
tried to think back to the first time. He couldn't. He remembered a fellow wrestler had  
told him how to do it and wanted to know if he could buy some off of him. Dwayne  
denied, knowing that the guy had a addiction problem and couldn't be at fault for his  
firing. Now it was Dwayne with the addiction problem. That revelation hit him hard.  
Addict. He was an addict. What does his wife think of him? She had seen him shoot up a  
few times but never said anything. She probably passed it off as a temporary way to relive  
stress. It was at first. But he always managed to keep his high private and away from his  
wife. But he couldn't keep it hid for long. His uses were getting closer together and he  
needed more and more each time. He knew he was starting to get emotionally abusive towards her  
but she always forgave him. It wasn't until he arrived home one night and found his  
clothes packed in the yard was when he realized that he might have went too far. He never  
remembered hitting her, though. The thought disturbed him. He could have hit his wife  
without even knowing about it.   
How would he ever see his family again if he died because of an overdose? What would  
the media do to them? His child would grow up without a father and his wife would be a  
widow at 32. How could he let all this happen? He never meant for it to get like this. He  
wasted half a year for a high. A non-realistic world that he couldn't even remember once  
he sobered up. What the hell was he doing? He was stronger then this. He knew he was.  
He endured countless injuries and hospital visits along with other wrestlers and they all  
managed to stay off drugs. Why couldn't he? Was he weak? Hell no! Even if he couldn't  
do it on his own, he sure as hell is going to try.  
Dwayne's hands started to shake and his breathing quickened. A million thoughts were  
racing through his head all at once. His stomach started churning and he felt like he was  
going to throw up. He tightened his grip on the bag and made his way to the bathroom.  
He took the scissors from the drawer and held them tight in his sweaty hand, watching the  
metal glisten in the light. He quickly cut a long slit in the bag. Pausing briefly to look at  
the white powder inside. He then tipped the bag over and dumped the contents in the  
toilet. The tiny particles drifting up in the air. Once the bag was empty, he flushed the  
toilet and watched as the drugs disappeared down the drain. He stood like that for several  
moments until he felt his legs getting weak, his last ounce of energy giving way. He  
slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, drawing his knees up an burying his face in  
his hands.   
  
End of Pt. 6 Review PLEASE!!!! 


	7. Going Home

Pt. 7 Going Home  
  
  
"He's been in there a while. Should we check on him?" Mick asked looking at the door  
Dwayne went into a few minutes earlier.   
  
"Nah, he's all right, Mick. Let him be." Steve said confidently. Suddenly the phone  
rang, startling both men. Steve answered it.   
  
"Hello?.......yeah?" Steve looked over at Mick and mouthed 'Paul'. Mick nodded and  
turned back to the TV. "Well, I think he's asleep right now....wait a minute..." The bedroom  
door opened and Dwayne came walking out. Steve quickly pointed to the phone. "It's  
Paul. You up to talking?"   
  
"Sure." Dwayne sat down on the sofa.   
  
"Okay, here he is." Steve handed Dwayne the phone.   
  
"Hey, Paul. What's up?"   
  
"Can you go somewhere private?"   
  
"Sure?" Dwayne replied confused. He got up and went back to the bedroom. When he  
left Mick looked at Steve.   
  
"For a guy who just got the shit beat of him, you don't seem to be holding any  
grudges." Mick said, a cocky smirk spread over his face and he got up and went in the kitchen.  
Steve just watched him leave, trying to come up with a good comeback. He just shook his head.  
  
~~~Bedroom~~~  
  
Dwayne shut the door behind him and stood in the middle of the room. He tired to  
figure out what was so important. "So what's going on, man?"  
  
"Um, Dwayne, Dany called." Dwayne froze and fell silent. "She, uh, asked about you."  
  
"She called you? Wh...what did you tell her?" Dwayne swallowed the lump in his throat.  
His heart began racing.  
  
"Well, uh, I told her that you were fine and...."  
  
"What did she say?" Dwayne asked, slightly fearing the answer.  
  
"Not much, man. She's still kinda upset with you. I didn't know what to say. I told her  
she should try calling Steve's house. Then she just started crying and hung up."  
  
"She was crying?"   
  
"Yeah." It was a whisper. "Maybe you should call her? I think she wants to straighten  
things out."  
  
"I don't know if I can do that." He really didn't.  
  
"Dwayne, you'll have to, man! She won't call you, you know that. She's willing to fix  
things. Don't you want to see your kid?" Dwayne swallowed again at the mention of his  
child. He closed his eyes.  
  
"Yeah...."  
  
"Then hang the phone up and call her!" Dwayne was silent. "Okay, I'll hang up first,  
okay? Call her! See you later, man." He hung up. Dwayne clenched the receiver in his  
hand and took a long, deep breath to slow his beating heart. He can't call her here. He'll  
have to go somewhere a little more private. He grabbed his jacket up off the bed and  
walked out the door. He tossed the phone to Mick, who unexpectedly caught it in his lap.  
Dwayne opened the front door.  
  
"Whoa, where you think your going?" Mick asked.  
  
"Going for a little ride, *mom*." Rock sneered. "Lay off, I'll be back in a minute."   
  
"What Paul want?" Steve asked. Dwayne shrugged, pretending the call meant nothing.  
  
"Nothing much. Wished me luck." He realled didn't feel like explaining it all. He walked out the door quickly to avoid further questions. He got in Steve's truck and pulled out the drive.   
  
He drove around the neighborhood a few times before he worked up enough courage  
to call his wife. How would she react when she hears him? Angry? Spiteful? Or will she  
just ignore him and hang up? Well, there is only one way to find out. Dwayne pulled into  
the parking lot of a late night gas station and cut the engine. He pulled out his cell phone  
and dialed home. It rang three times before someone picked up.  
  
"Hello?" The quick answer startled him and he fell silent. "Hello?" The voice was  
getting agitated. Dwayne took a deep breath to muster up some courage.  
  
"Dany?" His voice was shaky as it came out in a rushed whisper. He heard a gasp on the  
other end.  
  
"Dwayne?" She was obviously surprised at who it was and her voice had yet show  
anger. Dwayne smiled slightly and let out the breath he was holding.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh my God. Is everything all right? Are you okay?" This time her voice was filled with  
concern.  
  
"Yes, everything's fine."  
  
"Then why did you call? Are you sure?"  
  
"Paul called and said you asked about me and......" He trailed off, having no clue as to  
what to say.  
  
"Are you sure your okay?" He knew full well she was hinting to his addiction.  
  
"Yeah, considering. I've been clean for a week now, Dany."  
  
"Oh my God, baby!! That's great to hear! I'm so proud of you!" She was on the verge   
of crying.  
  
"It was hard and I could have used a little extra support." He immediately regretted the  
words. He didn't mean to sound as harsh as it came out.   
  
"Oh. I know, I know. I'm sorry, baby. But it was hard for me too. I didn't know what to  
do. It was getting too much to handle."  
  
"So, am I forgiven?"  
  
"I know now that you were never really at fault." Dwayne laughed sadly yet he was  
filled with joy. "Besides, I think your son wants to meet you." Dwayne's eyes got wide  
and his heart skipped a beat.  
  
"Son....I have as son?"  
  
"Mmm hmm. And he misses his daddy. Why don't you come on home, daddy?"   
  
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that." He said softly. He heard a soft laugh on the other end.  
  
"I love you, you know?" She said after a brief pause.  
  
Dwayne grinned and closed his eyes. "I love you too."   
  
  
  
PLEASE review if you want another chapter!!!!!!!!!!! 


	8. The Flashback

Okay, This is kinda a pt. 1 to ch. 8. I'm still working on it, I just thought I'd post this. I  
felt really bad about not updating and been in a hurry to finish and I think that's what was  
messing me up. Anyway, this is just a little flashback and it kinda tells what Dany is feeling.  
  
BIG thanks goes to my good friend LittleAngle19 for all her help and support!!! Thanks a  
million girl!!!  
  
~~~~  
  
Flashback 3 months ago  
  
Dany walked into the bedroom, afraid of what she might see. Dwayne had been in there  
for quite some time and she hoped he wasn't doing what she thought he was doing. He  
said he was getting ready for bed. She heard that excuse before. She swore that if he done  
it one more time that would be it. She had confronted him about it and he said it would  
never happen again, that he could control it. She believed him only because she wanted to.  
She knew it would happen again, it was only a matter of time. She walked slowly into the  
room and turned on the lights. Just as she had feared, he was passed out on the bed,  
sprawled out and on his back. She fought back tears as she approached his unconscious  
form. She let out a sob at the sight of the needle still in his arm. He had done it again.   
She walked into the bathroom and saw the powdery mess on the sink. She left the room and went downstairs.  
  
Steve was packing his things, getting ready for Monday's show, when the phone rang.  
"Hello?" he asked. "Oh my, God. Again? Is it bad?" He paused, listening the upset voice  
on the other end. "Okay, I'll call Mick and we'll be right over....No problem. Bye." Steve  
hung up the phone and called Mick. "Mick? Yeah....Dwayne's done it again. We got to go  
pick him up."  
  
Dany was sitting downstairs thinking. She had to do it. She told him she would and she  
has to carry it through. If she doesn't he'll do it again and again. A knock on the door  
brought her attention back to reailty. Her eyes were raw from tears but she wiped at them anyway.  
She stood up and opened the door and saw Steve and Mick standing there.  
  
"Where is he?" Steve asked softly.  
  
"Upstairs." Dany whispered. Steve nodded and he and Mick went up the stairs. Dany  
stayed by the door.   
  
~Bedroom~  
Mick and Steve reached the room and paused at the sight in front of them. Steve walked  
up to him and Mick went into the bathroom. Steve eyed the needle and was hesitant before grabbing it and pulling it out of the vein. He watched as blood began to drip from the womb. It had never been this bad. He placed the needle on the nightstand and started to lightly slap Dwayne on the cheek.  
  
"Dwayne? Come on, man. Wake up." No response.  
  
Meanwhile Mick was trying to clean up the mess in the bathroom. He raked up as much of  
the powder as he could and dumped it in the toilet. He put the lighter and bent spoon in  
his pocket for later disposal. There's no sense in having Dany clean this up. It'll only make  
things worse.  
  
Steve was still trying to awake Dwayne and started to slap a little harder while shaking  
his shoulder. Dwayne jerked slightly and slowly opened his heavy eyelids before re-closing them.  
  
"Come on, Dwayne. Wake up." Steve said, getting slightly frustrated.  
  
Mick returned from the bathroom and walked up to Steve. "He's not out completely."  
Steve said to him. They each grabbed a hand and hauled Dwayne up on his feet. The  
sudden movement had caused Dwayne to awake completely and he covered his eyes  
against the bright light of the bedroom. His balance wasn't all that great and he started to  
sway heavily. Mick and Steve stayed close by.   
  
"Downstairs, Dwayne." Mick ordered.  
  
"Let go of me." Dwayne mumbled, stumbling slightly.  
  
"No one has you. Come on, man, let's go downstairs." Mick said a little more forceful.  
Dwayne stared at him for a while before heading towards the door.  
  
Dany was waiting downstairs for them by the front door. She heard some noise and looked  
up at the top of the stairs. She watched as her husband, rather clumsily, made his way  
down. Steve and Mick right behind him. Dwayne was too incoherent to even  
know where he was and didn't look at her as he stepped outside. She started to reach out  
to touch his shoulder but stopped. Steve followed him out the door while Mick stayed to  
talk to Dany.   
  
Steve opened the back door to Mick's car while Dwayne climbed in. Once in the car, he leaned back in the seat and shielded his eyes against the bright porch light. Steve reached across him and put on his seatbelt, moving one of his arms to snap on the shoulder strap. He closed the door and walked back to Mick and Dany.  
  
"I just don't see any other way, Mick. I can't go through with this every time." Dany  
said, her disappointing tone turning into anger.  
  
"It's okay. I'll tell him." Mick said, placing a gentle hand on her arm. They said their good-byes and Mick and Steve drove off.  
  
~In the car~  
The ride in the car was silent. Steve finally decided to break it. "How long ago  
did you take it?" He asked, refering to the drugs. He looked in the review mirror to see Dwayne slummed back in the seat, eyes closed.  
  
"What?" He asked, eyes still closed.  
  
"How long ago did you take it?" Steve repeated more slowly. He and Mick had gotten use  
to Dwayne's constant repeated one word question by now.  
  
"I dunno. Bout half an hour ago." He mumbled, sighing heavily.  
  
"How much?" No response. "Dwayne!"  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Stay awake, man. How much did you take?"  
  
"Of what?"  
  
Steve let out a frustrated sigh. "Nevermind." They could tell just by listening to him how  
much he took.  
  
"It wasn't too much. At least he's responsive." Mick said.  
  
"Guys, I'm going to be sick." Dwayne said, slumping forward in the seat, hanging his head  
down so it faced the floor.  
  
"No your not." Steve replied calmly. When Dwayne first stated that he was going to be  
sick, Steve or Mick would pull over and wait. After the first five false alarms, they knew  
better.  
  
~An Hour Later~  
  
Thankfully the arena was only a few hours from the hotel Mick and Steve were staying at  
and they reached it in no time. While Mick walked up to the front desk to get another  
room, Steve and Dwayne waited in the car. While he was gone Steve kept looking in the  
rearview mirror. The effects of the drug was wearing off and Dwayne looked pretty  
focused.....considering.   
  
"You really fucked up this time." Steve said to him but mostly to himself.  
  
"Why's that?" Dwayne asked, looking out the window. Steve was surprised that he had  
heard let alone understood what he had said and wasn't prepared to answer his question.  
  
"What do you think, man? Getting stoned off your ass every night? Me and Mick risking  
our jobs just to keep you from doing anything you'll regret?" Steve's tone carried  
disappointment and anger. Dwayne didn't say anything and silence soon followed. "Will  
you be at work Monday?" Steve asked.  
  
"I got fired, remember." Dwayne said with bitterness.  
  
"Suspended. And whose fault is that?"  
  
Dwayne sighed heavily. "Whatever. Yeah, I'll be there."  
  
Mick soon returned and got in the car. "There won't be any available rooms until  
tomorrow. He'll have to stay with one of us." Steve again looked in the review mirror and  
saw the hateful glare Dwayne was giving him. He returned his gaze to Mick.  
  
"He can stay with you." Steve said coldly.  
  
Mick looked back at Dwayne, who was looking a hole in the back of Steve's head. "Just fine by me," He said just as cold. Mick looked back and forth between the two men, wondering what the hell happened the five minutes he was gone. He slowly nodded, shrugging slightly. "Fine."  
  
End Of Flashback  
  
~~~~~  
  
If you remember this is when the fic first started. I'm not finished with it. I really do feel bad and now maybe I can relax a bit and get to work on the next ch. If you like/don't like just review!   
Thanks for sticking with it!!! 


	9. Trouble Resurfaces

Chapters finally up!! I am so sorry for the delay. It might help if you kinda skim the prev.  
ch or two to refresh your memory. I decided to make Rocky's baby a boy because I just felt that  
it fits him better. No offense, of course, to his I'm sure beautiful baby daughter.  
  
This chapter was originally 5 pages when printed but I found a good climax point where  
I could stop and send it in. Big thanks to Little Angle19 for convincing me to do so.  
This way I won't be so worried in keeping it up and can chill and work on the next part.   
Please let me know what you think. Thanks!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Addiction Chapter 9  
pt. 1  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dwayne was thinking back to that day, or at least what he could remember, while  
driving the long way home. That event was two days before he nearly killed himself from  
an overdose. If Mick or Steve hadn't burst through the door he could be dead right now.  
He no longer held any ill feelings towards Steve. He realized now that he was only looking  
out for him. He was still, however, feeling a very slight degree of anger towards Dany.  
She was suppose to have been there too. But after thinking of the hell he put her through,  
he can't really blame her for throwing him out. He told her that he could control  
everything and that it was just to relieve some stress. But he couldn't control it and it soon  
became more to him then just relieving stress. It was still a struggle now to stay clean. The  
urges and feeling kept creeping up on him. He still has a long way to go but at least now  
he has a good start. He took a quick look at himself, wishing he had time to clean himself   
up a bit. Since Dany had kept all his good clothes, he had to start borrowing some of Steve's.   
He didn't think he looked to bad though; wearing a pair of blue jeans and a tucked in T-shirt   
with one of Steve's dark blue checkered button up shirts over that. He had called Steve and   
told him the news and promised to have the truck back first thing in the morning. Steve   
congratulated him and said he'd go ahead and start packing his things. On the way home   
he stopped at a thrift store and got a dozen roses and a stuffed teddy bear.  
~~~~~~~  
  
Dany was trying to straighten the house up a little bit for Dwayne's return but the  
baby just wouldn't let her do anything. A coming storm had scared him and he started  
crying. She decided to forget the house and sat with her baby on the couch and watched a  
little TV. The quiet rolling thunder was actually quite peaceful now and Dany watched as  
her son slowly fell asleep in her arms. He must have sensed that his daddy was coming home   
because he'd been restless all day. After thinking about Dwayne, Dany just now realized   
how much he looked like him. He was defiantly going to be a ladies man like his father.   
Dany better watch out for that. She actually smiled at the thought. Dany hoped Dwayne   
wasn't mad at her. She should have been more supportive and stayed by his side,  
especially since that was the time he needed her the most. But from a different perspective,  
the fact that she kicked him out might have made him realize how much he was  
emotionally hurting her and that made him clean up. At any rate, she was just happy that  
he was coming home a clean man. Raising the baby alone was difficult and she wouldn't know what  
she would do when she returned to work from her maternity leave. But that doesn't  
matter anymore. She took one last look at her baby boy before taking him upstairs to his  
crib.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The storm had gotten so bad that Dwayne had to pull over and wait for it to slack up. He  
looked in the review mirror and saw several people do the same. Except these two black  
vans which sped past all the cars at a high speed. 'There's a wreck waiting to happen'  
Dwayne thought to himself as he watched the vans disappear in the rain.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dany stood next to the crib and listened to the weather on the TV. They're saying it could  
turn into a hurricane. She looked at her baby and prayed Dwayne will be okay.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sitting in the rain gave Dwayne a lot of time to think. He started thinking about his son  
and his all new responsibilities. He had to be at least a few months old. He picked up the  
little blue teddy bear and felt its fluffy fur. He was actually looking forward to changing  
diapers and bottle feeding. He's a father now. It finally clicked. 'I'm a father.' he thought to  
himself smiling. He then gave a silent prayer that he could live up to his new and blessed life.   
Suddenly, a loud thunder brought his attention back. The rain had slacked up and he  
noticed that a lot of drivers were risking it by driving. Wanting to hurry up and get home,  
Dwayne put the bear down and pulled car into drive and eased back on the road. Sure  
enough, a few miles down, there were the two black vans on the side of the road. It  
looked as if the first one had slid off as the second one accidentally rear-ended it. Dwayne  
just kept driving, not giving a second thought as to who the vans belonged to.  
  
"Damn! That was him! Hurry up! Let's go!" One man said, noticing the truck speed past them  
before running back in the van. The side window slowly rolled down and revealed the face behind it.   
  
"Don't worry." Bic said smiling. "We'll get him."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
End Of Chapter 9  
  
  
Okay, I'm not exactly sure how long maternity leaves are so bare with me and play along.   
Please let me know what you think. Thanks!!! 


	10. The Conclusion

Author's Note: I replaced all the chapters so that there is a double space between  
the dialoge, hopefully it'll be better to read. I also added a bit more to Ch. 4 when   
Steve confronted Rock. I think if might help explain the emotion a little better.   
Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. Thanks  
  
  
  
Addiction: The Conclusion  
  
Dwayne drove down the familiar drive and he just now realized how much he  
missed it. Usually he didn't think twice about any of the little landmarks along the way but  
they were sort of symbolic now, he couldn't quite explain it. Although the rain was still  
hard, it had slacked up a little bit. The whipers were slowly going across the windshield,  
giving off a slight squeak as they passed over the slick surface. The loud clashing thunder  
could still be heard quite well and the lighting flashed every few minutes, illuminating the  
street signs. He finally reached the drive about fifteen minutes later. He pulled into the  
drive and cut the engine. He sat in silence for a few seconds before gathering up the roses  
and the stuffed animal. He opened the door and got out, feeling the cold rain immediately  
start to roll down his face. As he was walking towards the door, he wondered how Dany  
would greet him. He wouldn't be surprised if she slapped him right then and there. He  
probably deserved it. Once he reached the small patio he paused to give a quick prayer  
and rang the doorbell. A few moments later he heard the locks inside unlock and the door  
slowly open. Dany stood there beautiful as ever. They stood silent for a while, neither  
knowing exactly what to say.  
  
"Uh, I brought you something." He said handing her the flowers. She took the flowers,  
smiled, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Dwayne returned the hug, wrapping his  
arms tightly around her waist. Dany missed the feeling of his strong arms around her, she  
suddenly felt very safe.   
  
"I'm sorry." He said softly, pulling away to look into her eyes. She simply smiled, and  
shook her head, indicating all was forgiven.   
  
"I brought the baby something." He said awkwardly, showing her the gift. She smiled and  
looked at the bear in his hands.   
  
"Your son will love it." She said, loving the way his face brightened when she emphasized  
'your'. It finally clicked that he was out in the rain. "Well, come in. Your soaked." Dany  
said, leading him into the house. Once inside, Dwayne removed his wet outer shirt and  
placed it on the rack and tried to smooth out some of the water in his hair. He looked  
around the familiar surroundings. She hadn't changed a thing. The large opening with the  
kitchen and living room on opposite sides were just as they were last time he'd seen them.  
Suddenly there was a loud thunder followed by sharp cries upstairs. Dwayne knew  
immediately where it was coming from and surpassed a small smile. He walked past Dany,  
who was smiling brightly as she followed, and made his way up the stairs. The cries were  
coming from the guest bedroom and when Dwayne walked in, he saw that it had been  
decorated with bright colors and baby toys. He wished he could have been here to help  
decorate but figured there was no use wallowing in it now. A small nightlight had  
illuminated the room with a soft yellow glow. Dany walked up behind him and turned on  
the lights. The room was beautiful. Light blue wall paper with trim designed with baby  
animals. Another sharp cry and Dwayne saw the baby crib in the corner. Dany walked past  
him and approached the crib, leaning over it and carefully picking the baby up.  
  
"There's someone here that wants to meet you." Dany said, carrying the baby over to her  
husband and gently placing him in his arms. Dwayne was smiling proudly as he took his  
son for the first time. "Make sure you hold his head." Dany whispered, a grin on her face.  
The baby cries stopped as he reached up towards his daddy and began to giggle.  
  
"I think he likes you." Dany replied happily. Dwayne nodded and began to gently rock his  
son. He looked just like him- with his lightly dark skin with short, fine brown hair. When  
he laughed you could clearly see his little baby dimples and toothless grin. Dany wrapped  
her arms around them, encircling the baby between its parents. Dwayne gave a small smile  
when his son wrapped his tiny hand around his index finger.  
  
"What's his name?" He asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the baby.  
  
"Dominic." She said with a smile.   
  
Dwayne smiled and nodded his approval. "Nice to meet you, Dominic."  
  
"How old is he now? A few months?"  
  
"Going on six months."  
  
Dwayne was shocked. He's been gone over six months? It seemed like a lot longer. He's  
going to have to make up for lost time. He looked down at his son and couldn't wait to  
start. Dominic was examining his fathers finger with intense curiosity before sticking it in  
his mouth and gnawing on it. He yawned, his eyes drooping.  
  
"He's going to be a daddy's baby. You can tell."  
  
"Poor kid." Dwayne laughed softly, not wanting to wake the baby that had slowly begun  
to fall back asleep in his arms. He looked so innocent, so fragile.  
  
"Oh, yeah? Your going to be the one responsible for toilet training." Dany teased.  
  
"Oh, damn. Poor poor kid." Dwayne replied jokingly. Dany smiled and rested her head  
against Dwayne's strong shoulder, while he rested his head atop of hers. They stayed like  
that for several minutes, just taking in the joy of finally being a family. A few moments  
later, when the baby was asleep, Dwayne reluctantly broke the hold and gently laid his son  
on the bed, not removing his finger from his grasp.  
  
"It's all still hard to believe." He said, looking down at his son, while gently stoking the  
back of his tiny hand with his thumb.  
  
"We've all been through a lot." Dany said, smiling down at her son. "Having a family  
really makes you realize how important it is to have responsibilities."   
  
"I'm talking about being on the bottom of the barrel on minute and getting everything  
back and more the next. It's overwhelming."  
  
"You mean hitting rock bottom?" She said, smiling.   
  
"I'll tell you one thing. If all this is a result of hitting rock bottom, then I wouldn't change  
a thing."  
  
A few more minutes passed before Dany tugged at his arm. "Come on, I got something I  
want to show you." Dwayne gave a confused look but allowed her to lead him across the  
hall to the bedroom. She went to the closet and pulled out a small shoe box. She sat on the  
bed and opened the lid, Dwayne took the seat next to her  
  
"What is it?" He asked.  
  
"Pictures." She said, removing the lid and reviling hundreds of photo's inside the box.  
Dwayne smiled when he noticed that they were baby pictures. "I thought you might like  
some catching up."   
  
They spent the next few minutes looking through the shoebox. Dwayne couldn't believe  
that she could have taken so many pictures in what seemed like a relatively short time. All  
the pictures were basically the same, Dominic either sleeping, crying, or just staring off  
into space. Only one picture stood out from the rest. In one picture Dominic was looking  
straight into the camera, a crooked smile on his face, and one of his little eyebrows were  
slightly higher then the other.  
  
"That's my boy!" Dwayne said, laughing.   
  
"I thought you might like that one." Dany said.   
  
Just then the door bell rang. "Oh, I'll get it. Here." She said, handing him the shoebox and  
heading downstairs to answer the door. Dwayne stayed in the bedroom looking at the  
picture. He took out his wallet and gently placed the photo in the front window, leaving it  
open to look at it. God, things were happening so fast. It seemed like just yesterday he  
was struggling with another confrontation and now he's sitting at home, with his wife and  
son as if nothing has ever happened. No drugs, no fighting, no fake delusions, all this was  
real. He remembered thinking how nice the high felt. But sitting there, at home, he'd take  
this over anything.   
  
A sharp scream downstairs quickly brought his attention back. He jerked up, straining to  
listen. Another scream. He took off downstairs, his wallet falling to the floor. He raced  
down the stairs, troubled as to what was happening. He bolted into the foyer, frantically  
looking around. The screaming had stopped.  
  
"Dany!?" He yelled, straining to hear anything but only silence greeted him. "Dany!" He  
repeated, receiving the same response. He heard laughter somewhere behind him. He spun  
around just in time to see Bic turning on the living room lights, grinning sinister from ear  
to ear. Dwayne's heart began to pound in his chest, the fear and surprise showing all over  
his face. Three men were standing behind Bic, one roughly holding his wife. She  
screamed and fought against the man's strength, his hand firmly covering her mouth,  
muffling her screams. Bic laughed at the scene he created. The gun he held was pointed  
right at Dwayne's heart. He jerked the gun up, indicating for Dwayne to raise his hands.  
He did, his eyes darting from Bic to his wife.  
  
"Very nicely done." Bic said, taking a deep breath. As always, he was high and capable of  
doing anything.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Dwayne asked, suddenly filled with anger. He noticed the  
look on his wife's face, a small glint of confusion being mixed in with the fear when she  
realized her husband knew this man. Dwayne realized she didn't know anything about his  
dealer.  
  
"The money you owe me." Bic said casually.   
  
"I owe you nothing. We had a deal."  
  
"Oh, yeah. The money for the drugs. Did you like them? I noticed how eager you were to  
get them." He grinned. Dwayne knew full well he was trying to start something. He had to  
keep his cool. Dany was silent, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. "No. I know  
we had a deal. But I'm fresh out of money and I have debts to pay."  
  
"I'm not going to keep up your habit. Go find another supplier."  
  
"Oh, resistance. I see. Okay, that's cool. I understand. Oh, how's your baby by the way?  
Asleep upstairs in his crib?" Bic smiled, enjoying the reaction he got. Dwayne clinched his  
fist and tightened his jaw, fighting to restrain himself. Bic knew he struck a nerve. "That  
resistance don't seem so vital now, does it?" He said straight face.  
  
Dwayne took a slow deep breath. He had to think. He couldn't let this man get to him.  
"How do you plan on getting out of here. The murder of a famous wrestler and his family  
will cause quite an uproar. You sure you can handle it?"  
  
Bic shrugged. He had no plan. He never needed a plan. Everything always worked out for  
him.  
  
"They'll find you in a matter of days." Dwayne continued. "You didn't think about the  
cameras, did you?" Bic gave him a surprised look. "What? You didn't know? Someone of  
my stature always have cameras."  
  
"Your lying."  
  
Inward, Dwayne smiled. He was winning. He knew how incoherent people under the  
influence were and how easy they were to manipulate. "You never know. You took no  
precautions, did you? They already picked up on your car's license plate." He paused.  
"And your identities."  
  
Bic seemed to get real nervous. He can't go to jail. He knew Dwayne could be lying, but  
could he really risk it? The men around him grew antsy, seemingly to just now realize  
what danger they put themselves in. They kept looking over at Bic, impatiently waiting for  
their next orders. The room fell into an erie silence. The only thing that could be heard was  
the rain as if beat down on the windows.  
  
Suddenly the phone rang, causing everyone to jump and freeze. Dwayne knew that if he  
was going to get help, he had to answer it. He started towards the phone but Bic tightened  
his hold on the gun.  
  
"If I don't answer that, they'll know something's wrong." Dwayne said, making sure he  
spoke slow and clear and keeping his hands where Bic could see them. Bic seemed to  
think about it, an uneasy look creeping on his face. He nodded, just a slight tilt of his head.  
Dwayne slowly walked up to the phone and answered it.  
  
"Hello?" He said as calmly as possible, keeping his eyes on Bic.  
  
"Hey, just wanted to make sure you made it home okay. Storms a real killer." It was  
Steve! Dwayne tried to hide the relief on his face. He quickly started to come up with a  
plan.  
  
"Oh, um, yeah, I know all about tomorrow's show." There was a pause on the other end.  
  
"What?" Steve asked utterly confused.  
  
"I'm a little *busy* right now so I'll have to call you later." Dwayne said, hoping to  
emphasize.  
  
Another, longer pause on Steve's end. Bic was getting suspicious and a little more  
nervous. Dwayne prayed that Steve could catch on.  
  
"What's going on?" Now Steve was suspicious.  
  
"Just some friends stopped by we're a -" Bic quickly grabbed the phone and hung it up.  
That's just what Dwayne wanted. You just don't hang up in the middle of a sentence.  
  
~~~~~  
"What the hell?" Steve said, staring at the phone in his hand. Friends? He doesn't have  
anymore friends. Who else-? Wait, could it-? No way. He did it once before. How could  
he get there? Dwayne has his truck....He quickly dialed a different number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Paul! I think something's wrong..."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"No way, man. You are not going to ruin this! You don't know how bad I need this  
money!" Bic yelled, carelessly jerking the gun in Dwayne's direction.  
  
"Christ! Get a job! You don't have to do this!" There was no reply. Bic was getting  
nervous. He didn't have a plan, he didn't know what he should do now. All he wanted was  
the money. "Fine. Take me. Don't hurt anyone else. I'll give you however much you  
need." Dwayne said quietly, trying anything to get this man to leave. Still no reply. "This is  
murder! You know what they do to people in prison who hurt babies? They'll kill you,  
man. You don't want that!" He must have gotten through because Bic was shaking,  
almost crying.  
  
"You don't get it! I'll be dead anyway. I have nothing to loose."  
  
"Damnit! I said I'll give you the money!"   
  
Bic was shaking his head, not knowing what to do. He had trouble thinking straight. He  
got in over his head. Just then there was a loud crashing thunder followed by lighting. The  
entire house went pitch black.  
  
There was a brief pause before Dwayne's reflexes kicked in and he lunged at Bic,  
knocking the man down. His cohorts couldn't see anything and didn't know who was  
hitting who. All you could hear were the punches as the men fought. Dany was  
screaming, trying to free herself from the man's grasp. Suddenly, a shot rang out.  
Everything suddenly went quiet. Bic's gang didn't know what to do.  
  
"Oh, God! Let's get out of here!" One screamed, running out the door, the others fearfully  
following suit. Dany felt herself being thrown to the floor and heard the loud thumps of  
the man running outside. Once again, things were silent. There was still no movement  
between the men involved in the struggle. Dany could hardly breathe as she felt around the  
floor.  
  
"Dwayne! Oh, my God! Please be okay!" She cried. Her fear increased when she didn't  
get any response. She quickly got up and raced in the kitchen. Fumbling for the drawer  
containing the flashlight. She turned it on and quickly turned around only to run into a  
huge figure. She screamed, startled.  
  
"It's okay! It's me! Calm down!"   
  
Dany cried with relief and threw her arms tightly around her husband. She could feel his  
heavy breathing and noticed something wet was pressing against her. She looked down  
and in the light of the flashlight saw the dark red liquid all over the front of his shirt.  
  
"Oh, God! You've been shot!!" She screamed frantically, looking at all the blood covering  
her husband, shaking her hands that was covered in it. Dwayne meanwhile was frantically  
trying to calm her down.  
  
"I'm okay! It's not my blood! Look, I'm okay." He yelled, grabbing her hands and looking  
into her eyes. She looked at him and slowly began relax. "See, I'm okay." He whispered.  
She started crying and walked into his embrace. After a few moments of her crying, and  
Dwayne's soothing words, she stepped back and slapped him full on his face.  
  
"Don't you EVER scare me like that again!! That was so stupid! You could have been  
killed!" She yelled, her eyes still bright with fear. She whipped away her tears and made  
her way over to sit in the kitchen chair. She put her face in her hands and cried silently.  
Dwayne was afraid she might go in shock. He gingerly took the flashlight from her and  
made his way back into the living room.   
He shinned the light on the floor, finally spotting the dead body of Bic. Dwayne knelt  
down and checked for a pulse with shaking fingers. The feel of his cold blue skin already  
telling him the answer that there was no life. God, what now? Dwayne thought. A murder  
has just occurred in his home. A dead body was bleeding on his floor. Just then the lights  
came back on, slightly startling him. The details of the dead body on the floor becoming  
more visible. Dwayne slowly stood up, not able to take his eyes off the body. He slowly  
began to hear the cries upstairs. There's no telling how long he could have been crying.  
He looked back in time to see Dany slowly make her way up the stairs. Just then the front  
door burst open, causing Dwayne to jump back, dropping the flashlight and nearly falling  
over. The first thing in his mind was that they're back to finish the job. But once he made  
out the two figures in the doorway, he nearly passed out from relief.  
  
"What took you so long?" He asked, leaning over, his hands on his knees trying to calm  
down. Steve and Paul just stood frozen, staring at the body on the floor.  
  
=The Next Day=  
  
"Here." Dwayne said, handing his wife her coffee before sitting next to her on the couch.  
The reporter on the television was talking about the damage from the storm.  
  
"And in other news, a body of an unidentified man was found along the shore of the  
Miami Canal. The cause of death was from a bullet womb to the chest. No ID has been  
determined and an autopsy found traces of several narcotics in his system. Local Police  
have reported it as being another drug trade gone wrong. And now to weather with  
metero...."  
  
"See? I told you everything would be okay." Dwayne said.  
  
"I still feel wrong about it. I know you do too."  
  
Dwayne sighed. Yes, he did feel bad about what he and the guys did. He had to just keep  
telling himself that he never did anything wrong and reporting it to the police would just  
cause more trouble than what was needed right now.  
  
"Things will eventually get back to normal." He whispered, although knowing full well  
that things will never be as they were before.  
  
=One Week Later=  
  
It's been nearly a week since that night and there was no sign of any trouble. Dwayne and  
a sleeping Dominic were laying outside on the blanket Dwayne had laid out so the baby  
could play. It was a beautiful day and not a cloud in sight. Dominic had started to crawl  
and had fun chasing the landing butterflies, getting the knees of his pants dirty. Dany had  
returned to work so it was just the guys. They were having a manly conversation, although  
most of it was one sided, with only the occasional diaper change and bottle feedings.  
Dominic had fallen asleep a few moments earlier and was now curled up next to his daddy,  
who was watching him sleep. His cellular phone rang. He quickly reached for it, not  
wanting to wake the baby.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Dwayne, it's Vince. I think it's time we meet."  
  
Dwayne sighed, looked down at his sleeping son and smiled. Yes, everything was going to  
be just fine.  
  
  
==Prologue==  
Dwayne Johnson returned to work a month later. He was given as much time as he  
needed to train and get back in shape. With the urging of his wife and friends, Dwayne  
managed to find the time to attend regular NA meetings on the Internet. The worse of the  
withdrawals soon dissipated, but the casual earning still managed to creep their way up.  
Dwayne held fast and remains clean from drugs to this day. He and Dany are currently  
making plans on giving Dominic a baby sister.  
  
End of Addiction  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Authors Note: I want to thank everyone who read this fiction and a special thank you to  
those who reviewed it. I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. If it  
didn't live up to your expectations, I am sorry. I tried and I am very proud of it. Reviews  
are greatly appreciated. Thank you.  
  
Rawstin@aol.com 


	11. DELETED SCENES

This is a look inside my notebook.These are scenes that were originally planned or I thought   
about adding to Addiction but decided not to. Their not edited so their may be some mistakes   
in them. I thought I'd add them after the fic hopefully to some what make up for the gaps between the updates.  
  
  
~=~=~ The was the original plan for chapter 5. At the time I thought it wouldn't be right to add it. See for yourself ~=~=~  
  
  
"Okay, boys!" Suddenly the six men rushed up on Dwayne and Steve, who immediately   
started to defend themselves. Bic just stood back and watched the six on two attack.   
The two wrestlers got in some good punches until they were taken down by the odds.  
Finally, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired in the air. All men stopped fighting.  
Both Steve and Dwayne stopped their fighting.   
  
"See what we had to resort to?" Bic shook his head and pulled out a needle, which was  
full of a clear substance. "Hold him." Three men rushed and grabbed Dwayne and when  
Steve tried to help two men refrained him while the other held the gun on him.  
  
"Don't even try it. I'll kill ya." The man said flatly, aiming the gun right between  
Steve's eyes.  
Bic walked up to Dwayne, who was still struggling with the three men. One had managed  
to roll up his sleeve. One of the men viciously punched Dwayne in the abdomen, who   
immediately fell to the ground.  
  
"After this, you'll be begging for more." They exposed Dwayne's forearm and Bic  
jabbed the needle into the vein and filled it with the substance. "Okay, lets go!" All seven  
men took of running down the ally. As soon as Steve was free he knelt down next to  
Dwayne, who was leaning against the car struggling for breath. Bic hadn't bothered to  
remove the needle and it was still sticking in Dwayne's arm. Steve quickly pulled it out  
and tossed it away.  
  
"Holy shit. Are you okay? What was that?" Steve inspected the puncture womb which  
had left a small stream of blood trailing down his arm.  
  
"Heroin....." Dwayne whispered. "A lot of it."  
  
"Fuck! Come on, we got to get you to a hospital." Steve grabbed Dwayne's arm and  
attempted to haul him up.  
  
"No, Steve. No one can know." He was attempting to yell but all he managed was a  
whisper.  
  
"Your going to overdose!"  
  
"No, he doesn't want to kill me, just keep me addicted."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Steve asked quickly.  
  
"He owes -people- a lot of money."  
  
"Shit!" Steve didn't know what to do. "Can you stand?" No answer. "Dwayne!"  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Can you stand?"  
  
"Uh....I think so." Steve hauled Dwayne up and helped him into the passenger seat. He quickly got  
into the driver side. By the time he was in the car, he could tell that Dwayne was already  
suffering the effects of the drug.  
  
"What's going to happen?" Steve asked nervously. Dwayne was shaking, almost  
convulsing.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said 'What's going to happen?"  
  
"Uh......anxiety....and uh....jumpiness...daze out...sick......." He trailed off, loosing his  
train of thought.  
  
"How do you feel now?"  
  
"I feel....I dunno...heavy....warm.....kinda panicky.....mad as hell this is happening." He again trailed off,   
oblivious to the world. He was staring out the window while his nerves continued to tremble, but his mind   
was somewhere else completely. Steve noticed that his breathing had slowed and his pupils had contracted.  
His skin looked cold, moist, and bluish.  
  
"How long will it last?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Damnit, Dwayne! How long will it last!?"  
  
"Uh.... a few hours."  
  
"Shit!" Steve slammed his fists on the steering wheel in frustration. He had no idea what to do.   
He took one last look at Dwayne before opening his door and finding a pay phone. He dialed his house.  
  
"Please Mick pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up...."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah! Mick, it's me."  
  
"Hey, you two done in town already?"  
  
"Uh, no we might be a few hours late."  
  
"Sure, what's going on?"  
  
"Uh, nothing. Just, uh, cruising and stuff." Steve knew it sounded lame but he didn't know what else to say.  
  
"Okay. Where's Dwayne?"  
  
"He's waiting for me in the truck." Steve answered a little too quickly.  
  
"Okay, well, I'll see you two later."  
  
"All right. Bye."  
  
"Bye."   
  
Steve hung up the phone and got in the truck.   
  
Mick was watching television when he heard Stave's truck pull up. He thought nothing of it until he heard   
Steve call him name. It sounded urgent so Mick quickly went outside where he saw Steve hop out his truck  
and over to the passenger side door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mick asked   
  
"Just help me!" That's when Mick saw the unconscious Dwayne in the passenger seat.  
  
"What happened? You were suppose to keep an eye on him!" Mick asked angrily. Steve   
was opening the door and trying to awaken Dwayne.  
  
"It wasn't his fault. Would you help me please!"   
  
"Wasn't his fault?"  
  
"Damnit, Mick!"  
  
"All right." Mick walked over to Steve and together they hauled Dwayne out the truck. The scene looked all to familiar.  
  
  
~=~=~ This is just a *little* addition to ch. 4. ::shrug:: Don't know why I didn't keep it ~=~=~  
  
  
"I don't want or need your help, Steve. Not anymore." Dwayne's voice was cold.  
"Not even God can help you now." Steve said.  
"I think I've been doing fine on my own."  
Steve looked at the younger man in front of him.   
"That you have." He said softly. "Dwayne, man, I love you like a brother. I can't let you do this to yourself."  
  
~=~=~ I had wanted Rock to have a withdrawal effect in front of his wife but couldn't figure out   
the best way to do it so I just left it out. It would have been in ch. 10~=~=~  
  
Dwayne suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He tensed up and dropped the picture. He clenched his stomach and grabed a handful of bedcovers. Dany quickly placed the box of pictures on the floor and put her hand on his back.  
  
"Dwayne, what is it? What's wrong?" She asked frantically.  
  
"Nothing." He grunted. 'God, not now.' he thought to himself. He hadn't had any withdrawal effects in a few days, and he thought he was through with them. Apparently not. The last thing he wanted to talk about right now was the drugs, especially since things were going so well. Dany was still looking at him, concearn and fear in her eyes. "It'll go away in a minute." He said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Oh." Dany must have caught on to it anyway and her hand slightly faultered on his back. "Is there anything I can do?"  
  
Dwayne shook his head. "No, just give me a minute." As soon as he said that, he felt the affects subside. His breathing slowly returned to normal and his nerves relaxed. He tested his strength by slowly straightening up. When he felt like he could move again he took a deep breath.  
  
  
~=~=~ This would have probably went in ch. 9. I had no intention of putting this in, I just wrote it to see how it would work. I left it out because it has nothing to do with the story. ~=~=~  
  
  
Dwayne remained silent long after they hung up. Still in shock that he was finally going home. A knock on the window brought him back to the present. He rolled the window down and noticed a man in uniform shinning a flashlight on him.  
"Problem, officer?" The cop looked all over in the truck.  
"What are you doing here all alone?"   
"Oh, just driving around. I was just heading home." To his home; to his family.  
"Uh-huh." The cop shinned the light right in Dwayne's face. "You look familiar. Have I busted you in the past?" Rock grinned and shook his head.  
"No. I've been on TV a few times." Dwayne figured he'd use The Rock to get him out of another predicament. Works every time, especially now since he was in a good mood.  
"Uh-huh. What's your name?" Exactly what Dwayne was looking for.   
"Some call me The Rock." The cops eyes lit up. Dwayne laughed inside.  
"Are you serious? My kid loves you." Dwayne nodded.  
"A lot of kids do." The officer pulled out his ticket book and a pen.  
"Tell you what. You give me an autograph, I'll let you off without so much as a warning." Dwayne didn't really know what he did to deserve a warning but passed it off as an excuse to get his john handcock. Dwayne reached for the pen.  
"Sure." He signed his name on the back of one of the tickets.  
"Great. My kids going to love this." Dwayne nodded. Damn, he's good.  
"No problem."  
  
  
~=~=~ That about does it. Hope it was at least interesting.Sorry if they seem a bit cut off.... ~=~=~ 


End file.
